IU Indianapolis Pain Research Laboratory

The Pain Research Laboratory at IU Indianapolis is broadly interested in the biopsychosocial aspects of pain and functioning in humans. We seek to elucidate how individual-level factors (e.g., biology, cognition, emotions) interact with interpersonal and socio-contextual factors (e.g., cultural heritage, social class, relationship status) to influence the experience of and judgments about pain. To this end, we study providers of pain care, patients who experience pain and their family members, and healthy laypersons. Specific projects under each of these domains are described under Research. We incorporate a diverse array of within- and between-subjects research designs, ranging from epidemiologic to observational to interventional. Our research methods are equally diverse and include computer-simulated virtual human technology, laboratory-based quantitative sensory testing, qualitative methods, and clinical data capture. We are an interdisciplinary lab and collaborate frequently with colleagues in medicine, nursing, communication science, informatics, and social psychology.